The AACU submitted comments in support of H.R. 7995, The GOLD Card Act of 2022. We believe that the GOLD CARD Act will provide more professional autonomy for physicians and better access to medical care by exempting qualifying physicians from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans.
A 2021 survey by the American Medical Association highlights that 93% of physicians reported care delays associated with prior authorization, and 82% said these requirements can at least sometimes lead to patients abandoning treatments. As you are aware, prior authorization complicates patient care with administrative hurdles and delays, with a prolonged process that can require physicians and their staff to spend the time equivalent of two or more days each week negotiating with insurance companies. Patients are unable to access timely, necessary medical care due to these burdensome prior authorization requirements for services that are eventually routinely approved.
H.R. 7995 is a commonsense reform that will benefit MA patients and help to reduce physician burnout by streamlining and expediting the prior authorization process for physicians for whom at least 90 percent of their prior authorization requests submitted to a plan in the preceding year were approved. We will keep our members updated as this legislation progresses.